Mara Light
Temecula, California
Artist Mara Light creates portraits and still lifes that explore memory, emotion, and the layered nature of human experience through a classical style with contemporary touches. "Persistence has been my greatest guide," says Mara. Working primarily in oils, she often paints over older works, allowing traces of previous images, textures, and materials to remain visible beneath the surface. Over more than three decades of dedicated studio practice, Mara developed her voice through patience, curiosity, and a commitment to finding techniques uniquely her own. Early experience as a studio assistant taught her discipline and the realities of life as a working artist, while years of independent study helped shape her evolving approach to painting. She works from a carefully organized studio space in her Temecula, California home, painting to music, podcasts, or films while layering oil paint with gold leaf, gauze, silk, and other textured elements. Outside the studio, Mara enjoys spending time with her daughter and caring for her cat, Lola, finding inspiration in the quiet rhythms of everyday life.
Artist Statement
My paintings explore the layered nature of people and the natural world. We all carry light and darkness, the parts of ourselves we reveal and those we keep hidden. Together, these layers shape the complexity and beauty of who we are. I hope viewers experience the work differently each time they encounter it, discovering new meanings and connections, much like the way we come to understand people, nature, and life over time.
My ideas and concepts evolve through the painting process itself. The unpredictable layering of materials both conceals and reveals areas of the work, allowing metaphors and meaning to emerge gradually. Each step becomes a response to the one before it, creating a continual process of building up and breaking down the image. For me, the more layers a painting contains, the more thought-provoking and emotionally resonant the surface becomes.
I use transparent materials between layers of paint so traces of earlier stages remain visible beneath the surface. This reflects how human experience leaves lasting impressions that continue to shape us. Throughout the process, I search for a balance between order and chaos, light and darkness, tradition and expression. Over time, the paintings begin to take on a life of their own, moving beyond my control.
My ideas and concepts evolve through the painting process itself. The unpredictable layering of materials both conceals and reveals areas of the work, allowing metaphors and meaning to emerge gradually. Each step becomes a response to the one before it, creating a continual process of building up and breaking down the image. For me, the more layers a painting contains, the more thought-provoking and emotionally resonant the surface becomes.
I use transparent materials between layers of paint so traces of earlier stages remain visible beneath the surface. This reflects how human experience leaves lasting impressions that continue to shape us. Throughout the process, I search for a balance between order and chaos, light and darkness, tradition and expression. Over time, the paintings begin to take on a life of their own, moving beyond my control.
Artist Background
Art Center College of Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1993
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